GKN Driveline has started production of propshafts at its new manufacturing facility in Villagran, Mexico, the company announced in a press release yesterday (10 May). The facility, spanning a 12,000 square metre area, is the company’s second site in Villagran. The facility manufactures a new type of higher performance propshaft ‘GKN VLi’, which is faster to assemble and can operate at higher rotational speeds. The facility, with an annual production capacity of more than one million propshafts, will supply to automakers such as Audi, BMW, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Nissan and Volkswagen. The company invested USD17.5 million in the facility to address rising local and global demand.
Commenting on the new facility, Fidel Otake, GKN Driveline director for Mexico, said “With the start of production on these new lines in Villagran, GKN’s long-standing operations in Mexico are entering a new phase. This investment brings the latest technology to market in Mexico, strengthening the support we provide to an increasing number of automakers and global programmes with local production here.”
Significance: GKN had started construction of the new manufacturing facility in Villagran in October last year. The company has been operating in Mexico since 1979, and currently employs 2,075 people across its three plants. The company supplies CVJ drive shafts and fuel-efficient all-wheel drive systems to many global automakers. The company says demand for lightweight, high-performance driveline technologies is rising, driven by increasing global demand for all-wheel drive vehicles. GKNs’ propshafts are light in weight and offer higher efficiency, making vehicle integration simpler. The new facility in Mexico expands GKN’s existing footprint in the region, while bolstering its position as one of the major driveline system suppliers.
